Gemini
by The Girl of Many Words
Summary: Robin would be the first to admit it, he had been afraid during the various patrols and missions he had participated in during his short stint as a vigilante. But this was different. No monologues, no maniacal laughter, no hidden lockpicks in his glove. His team was locked up somewhere in this building with no clue as to what was about to transpire, and he was terrified. (One-shot)


**I hate to put an A/N here, but for clarification's sake:**

"I'm speaking English."

_"I'm speaking Romani."_

_I'm thinking or communicating via telepathy._

I'm trying to emphasize stuff.

* * *

**Gemini**

_M'gann, can you hear me?_

The echoing of his heartbeat in his ears was the only reply given. He tried again.

_M'gann, are you there?_

Nothing. That meant only one thing - well, two if he were being honest with himself, but he wouldn't let his thoughts go there - she must still be unconscious.

Aqualad heaved a sigh and sat. He was especially glad at this moment that Artemis had sent the distress signal before all of them had been captured. With Robin, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Kid Flash all down for the count, he hadn't seen any way out. All that was left at this point was to wait for the League to arrive with their disapproving glares. After all, with Batman explicitly reminding them beforehand that their missions were stealth only, they were sure to get an earful from their mentors about discretion and following orders and whatever other nonsense after this disaster was wrapped up. Aqualad couldn't wait.

He leaned his head against the wall, hoping for some kind of cool relief from the stuffiness of his cell. Their captors were smart to have placed him in a heated room such as this, but Aqualad found himself, through the exhausted dizziness in his mind, wondering two things. 1) Why give prisoners a perfect avenue of communication by having cells with clear outer walls? and 2) Why had Robin and that strange boy been placed in the same cell?

That boy . . . he was the reason their mission had fallen apart. Upon finding the video feed to the boy's cell, Robin had immediately moved to infiltrate the facility and free him. The calm, cool, and collected Boy Wonder had turned suddenly furious and determined, almost leaping into danger without any kind of plan or backup. Everything had just gone downhill from there.

Aqualad lifted his head, leaning forward to get a better look. Robin was still sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. The boy was huddled in one corner, face buried in his hands and shoulders shaking. Crying? But there was something that drew Aqualad's attention besides the boy's apparent distress. He was slim, obviously somewhat malnourished, but he looked as if he wouldn't be a solid wall of muscle anyways. More the graceful, runner, dancer kind of physique. His hair was nothing more than an overgrown buzz cut, but it was definitely black. Like Robin's. Also like Superboy, but something about the kid continued to force Aqualad's thoughts towards Robin.

The boy suddenly looked up, his teary eyes a striking blue and wide with terror. That was when Aqualad saw it: a metal collar much like the ones worn by Belle Reve prisoners. The boy was a metahuman. But what had him so spooked?

He crawled towards Robin, gripping his shoulders and shaking him, trying to wake him up. But his movements were growing more sluggish. Some kind of fog filled the room, and the boy finally collapsed, his head resting on Robin's chest. Some kind of sedative, then.

The mist cleared almost as quickly as it had come. Aqualad felt his gut twist with trepidation. What could be going on here that needed both of them unconscious?

Two guards rounded the corner of the hall, and one lifted his key card to the sensor keeping Robin and the boy's cell locked. Helplessly, Aqualad watched as his teammate (_My friend_) and an innocent metahuman were dragged from their room to God knows where.

Aqualad dropped his head to the too-warm wall like the stone settling in the pit of his stomach.

_M'gann, please answer._

Silence.

The Justice League couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Robin groaned, finally coming to. Everything felt sluggish, a slight nausea lingering in his head. All signs of a sedative, but hadn't he been knocked out by one of the guards? He slowly forced his eyes opened and immediately realized that his mask was gone.

_Well, that's not good._

Robin gingerly lifted his head and confirmed with a quick glance that his uniform had been replaced with a solid white hospital gown.

_That's definitely_ _not good._

_"Dickie?"_

Robin's heart skipped a beat, and he remembered the last few hours with shocking clarity. The lab, the team, and -.

Robin twisted his head and caught sight of Danny on what appeared to be (_Let me be wrong, I want to be wrong_) an operating table. Straps held down his wrists, ankles, and waist, but he wore white scrubs instead of a hospital gown. He looked like he had been crying.

"Danny," Robin whispered. He switched to his first language, fully aware that Danny didn't know English as well as he did, probably never had the chance to learn. _"What's going on? What do these people want?"_

_"God, it's all my fault,"_ Danny moaned, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head to face the ceiling. _"They've been studying me, wanting to recreate the mutation, and now they've got you, and we can't do anything, oh God."_

Robin's heart pounded in his chest. _"Danny, calm down. What are you talking about?"_

Danny took a shuddering breath before turning. _"Remember that accident when we were little with the girl whose parents were ghost hunters? I wanted to impress her cute friend, so I stepped into that weird machine."_

The memory, so far removed, almost a lifetime ago, surfaced in Robin's mind. That machine came to life with Danny inside. He had been sick the whole week afterwards, even the day . . .

_"It did something to you, didn't it?"_

Danny nodded. _"I'm not really human anymore."_

The main lights clicked on, blinding the two boys who squeezed their eyes shut automatically. When Robin managed to peel his eyes open again, a man and a woman in scrubs and surgical masks loomed over him. The man busied himself with inserting an IV line in Robin's hand, while the woman unsnapped the top half of his hospital gown. Countless stickers all over his chest, arms, legs. The scratch of velcro, a thick band of plastic wound around his arm. An EKG and blood pressure cuff. His already hammering heart rate sped up. This was beginning to feel more and more like surgical prep.

Robin would be the first to admit it, he had been afraid during the various patrols and missions he had participated in during his short stint as a vigilante. Being tied up was also not a new experience for him. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times he had been subjected to a good villain monologue. But this? This was different. No monologues, no maniacal laughter, no hidden lockpicks in his glove. These doctors (_Are they scientists?_) worked with calculated efficiency, hardly even speaking to each other. He had no idea what these people were going to do to him, and worse, he had no idea when backup would arrive. His team was locked up somewhere in this building with no clue as to what was about to transpire.

In short, Robin was terrified.

_"Danny?"_ He strained against the strap holding his wrist in place, wishing he could reach out to the other boy. _"What are they doing?"_

Danny could hear the tremor in Robin's voice no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. He shoved his own terror down. _"Hey, it's going to be okay."_

Robin continued to stare wide-eyed at the robotic doctors. Danny tried again.

_"Dick, look at me."_

Robin wrenched his gaze away and turned towards Danny.

_"It's going to be okay, I promise. We're gonna make it out of this together, okay, Dickie?"_

Robin nodded his head, barely. _"Okay."_

The nurses stepped back, finished with their task of hooking up Robin to the various monitors littered throughout the room, and a man in a white lab coat came forward. Crinkles formed at the edges of his eyes, making it obvious that he was smiling behind his surgical mask. His voice was friendly and middle-aged. It was something one would expect to hear out of the mouth of an amiable, stay-at-home dad who wore sweater vests.

"Richard, such a pleasure to finally meet you," he said. "If you would be so kind, I know your Romani is better than mine, would you ask your brother to shift forms for us? I find it's so much easier to ask rather than force things."

Robin glanced in Danny's direction briefly before his gaze landed again on the doctor.

"Why would I do that?"

The question didn't seem to phase him. "Well, there are always other ways for us to accomplish what we want, but I figure it never hurts to ask first and give our patients the opportunity to choose a less painful avenue."

_Less painful, not painless. This is going to suck._

_"Dick, what is he saying? I can only catch a few words."_

Robin gritted his teeth but turned towards Danny nonetheless. _"He wants me to ask you to switch forms, whatever that means."_

Danny blanched. _"I can't. If I do, then they'll get my transformed DNA and -."_

"Time's up, dear boys."

The light on Danny's collar turned red, and Danny gasped. His back arched, his body spasming violently as he screamed. Robin jerked against his restraints, yelling, begging for them to stop. The doctor smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

The light switched back to green, and Danny sagged against the table, his breaths coming in gasps. The doctor stepped closer to Robin.

"Tell Daniel to switch forms."

_"Danny, please just do it,"_ Robin begged. _"I can't - I don't want them to do that again."_

_"But, Dick, . . . you don't . . . understand."_

_"Please. It can't be worse than that, can it?"_

Danny searched his brother's eyes, seeing the desperation, the will to do anything to keep the cretins' attention off of him. He nodded.

_"It's gonna . . . be okay . . . I promise."_

Robin watched as a blue-tinged light appeared near Danny's waist. It split in half, traveling up and down his body. His skin became deathly pale, an otherworldly glow just visible. Snowy white hair, eyes a neon green. A familiar outfit of a sleeveless unitard, loose shorts, and thin flats. Robin recognized it as the kind of clothes they would wear on days when their only responsibility was to stretch, do a short workout, and make it home in time for dinner.

_And do the dishes._

The doctor hummed. "I knew you would come around, Daniel. So much easier to convince you to cooperate when your brother's here."

He moved to Danny's side, pulling a blood draw kit from his pocket. Danny grimaced as the doctor pushed the needle into the crook of his elbow. He mumbled something that sounded like, "A half litre should do," and held out his hand. One of the nurses passed him an empty IV bag. He attached it to the end of the line leading to Danny's arm, and t slowly began filling with a bright green liquid.

"What are you doing?" Robin growled.

The doctor turned, an eyebrow raised. "Now, I know you're a smart boy, Richard. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Robin didn't bother answering. He certainly knew that it looked like they were drawing Danny's blood, but why on earth was it green and glowing? Danny had said he wasn't completely human anymore, but this? It's like his entire physiology had changed.

The bag was full. The doctor unhooked the line, leaving a nurse to remove the needle, and made his way over to Robin. Robin felt terror nudging at the edges of his thoughts, and the heart-rate monitor picked up in the background. Danny looked over with tired eyes, licking his lips.

"C-can hold Dick's hand?" he slowly asked.

The doctor paused. He secured the IV bag on its hook and looked down at Robin.

"Ask him why."

Robin swallowed. _"He wants to know why."_

_"Tell him that I know what's about to happen, and I don't want you to go through it alone."_

Robin repeated Danny's message, his panic growing with each word. The doctor thought for a long moment, eyeing the brothers, before shrugging.

"I don't see why not. That collar should keep Daniel from doing anything risky, and perhaps the presence of a grounding force will help the success rate. Release him."

One of the nurses began unlatching Danny's restraints. When she was done, Danny sat up, rubbing his wrists, and shakily floated to Robin's side. He gripped his brother's hand with both of his. Robin shivered.

_"I know, I'm cold, I'm sorry,"_ he mumbled.

Robin squeezed Danny's hand. He was too scared to even try to speak, but Danny seemed to understand.

_"I promise, Dickie, it'll be okay."_

The IV line was attached, and the doctor squeezed the bag to push the contents closer to their destination. He whispered something to a nearby nurse, but Robin couldn't hear it. Everything felt cold and sluggish. His brain seemed to be working in slow motion. He could still feel Danny's deathlike grip on his hand, still see the blinding OR lights, but nothing made sense.

Just as the cold finished permeating every part of his body; Just as his eyelids slipped shut for welcome sleep; Just as the heart monitor in the background emitted a low, monotone beep;

Just as utter disbelief began to settle in Danny's stomach, a fire lit itself in Robin's.

His whole body tensed, the monitor erupting in a tachycardic crescendo. The fire burned its way through his limbs, killing all other sensation. Nothing existed in Robin's mind except the fire and a single desperate thought:

_Make it stop!_

With no relief in sight, Robin screamed.

* * *

_Hello?_

Aqualad started awake. He blinked, trying to clear his fuzzy vision. The cell across the hall was still empty. How long had he been out?

_Anybody awake?_

That voice, it was weak and quiet, but it was definitely Miss Martian's.

_Me._

Superboy. Good.

_Anybody else's head pounding like a jackhammer?_

Kid Flash. Check.

_Here. Not happy, but here._

Artemis. Perfect.

_How is everyone? Any serious injuries? _Aqualad asked.

_Kryptonite. Otherwise I'm fine._

_I'm all right,_ _but I'm not sure how long I can keep this up. My cell feels like a sauna._

_My shoulder may be out of socket, so no shooting anytime soon._

_Head hurts, but I'm good. Rob hasn't replied, though. Is he still out?_

Aqualad pursed his lips. _I do not know. He and that boy -._

_Danny. _Kid Flash's voice was quiet, sad.

Aqualad hesitated. _Kid, how do you -?_

_At this point, I think it's safe to spill Rob's secrets. That guy's name is Danny Grayson, he's Dick's, Robin's twin brother. We honestly thought he was dead. He disappeared the same night their parents were killed._

_Oh my gosh, that's why he was so determined to rush in here and save him_, Artemis realized.

_Yeah, pretty much._

_So what do we do? _Superboy sounded as exhausted as Miss Martian.

_Kaldur had me send a distress signal to the League just before we were captured. Don't know how long it's been, though, so there's no telling when to expect them to show up._

_Should I try extending my mind to see if anyone's nearby?_

Aqualad answered. _That would be perfect, M'gann._

Silence descended again, but this one wasn't as deafening as before. The team could feel each other just on the edge of their awareness, and it was a comfort marred only by the lack of one member.

_Hey, guys, I think I found Robin. There's a presence on the other side of the facility. Let me just -._

Terror rushed through the mind-link, threatening to overwhelm the team. Frantic, jumbled words, some in English and some not, followed quickly on its heels.

_Make it stop, pleasE__MAKEITSTOP_

_Rob! Can you hear us? _Kid Flash sounded desperate.

The terror abated, giving way to a sweeping exhaustion.

_W-wally?_

_Yeah, bud, it's me._

Robin's voice began fading. _I'm sorry, guys. It's my fault._

_Don't say that!_ Artemis replied. _We understand, it's okay._

_My . . . fault._

_Robin, we're going to get out of here. _Aqualad assured. _The League is on their way._

_Sorry . . ._

The mind-link fell quiet, Robin's brief presence retreating. Finally, Miss Martian spoke up.

_I-I think he's unconscious_, she whispered.

Superboy swore. _When I get my hands on those -_.

_Superboy, calm down._ Aqualad's mind reeled. He had to keep his team from complete panic. _We don't know -._

_Don't know? Didn't you hear him?! They obviously tortured Robin! We can't just -._

_And what do you propose we do? Do you have an escape plan that you have yet to share with us?_

Superboy remained silent. Aqualad sighed, looking worryingly towards the empty cell across the hall before continuing.

_I know this is bad, and trust me, I want to help Robin and Danny as much as the rest of you. Whatever these people have done is unforgivable, but right now, we have to stay calm and try to get in touch with the League. That's all we can do. Bickering among ourselves will not get us out of this place faster, and it most definitely will not help Robin. Agreed?_

Miss Martian immediately assented. _I'll keep searching._

Aqualad took the remaining members' silence as agreement. He knew all of them were deeply unsettled. Whatever fate had befallen their friend, it had to have been dire to break his calm facade.

In all honesty, it was difficult for Aqualad to remember that Robin was still just thirteen. He often seemed so much older. Always ready for action, always making level-headed choices. It was really only his constant laughter and sarcastic quips that alluded to his immaturity. But that moment of pure, raw panic and pain, it was enough to remind him that Robin, like the rest of them, was still just a kid.

He swallowed his own fears and reached for the comfort of their mind-link.

_Any updates, M'gann?_

A movement in the hall caught his eye before the Martian could reply. Guards, one of them restraining the boy (_Danny, his name is Danny_) and dragging him towards the white room while he blearily stumbled along. The other guard carried a second boy who was clad in the same white scrubs. It could only be Robin, but as Aqualad watched, he hoped violently that the limp figure was someone else.

Danny was thrown into the waiting cell, the second boy deposited on the bed against the back wall. Aqualad could see his face clearly now.

His heart sank.

Robin was almost as pale as his clothes, his black hair lank and damp with sweat. Twin streams of Christmas-colored blood trailed from his nostrils, and aside from the slight rise and fall of his chest, he lay motionless.

_Guys, _Aqualad whispered. _Robin and Danny are back._

Kid Flash's question was immediate. _How bad?_

_He's breathing, but he doesn't look good._

Danny sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Robin's head into his lap and using the hem of his shirt to wipe the blood away.

_Is he . . . _Artemis hesitated. _Do you think he'll make it?_

Aqualad shook his head. _He doesn't look outwardly injured, just very sick. I don't know what they did to him._

Miss Martian's relieved voice interrupted. _They're here!_

Her proclamation was quickly followed by an ear-splitting alarm.

_Yeah, they are! _Kid Flash exclaimed.

_Took them long enough, _grumbled Superboy.

Aqualad struggled to his feet, finally letting himself smile. This whole thing may have been a complete disaster, and one of their teammates was seriously injured, but it was finally over.

The alarm shut off abruptly, and the cell doors promptly slid open. Aqualad rushed across the hall.

_Kid, find Batman now. Let him know what's happened. Superboy, come to the end of the hall. I might need your help getting these collars off Danny and Robin. Everyone else, get out._

The team set out. Aqualad entered Danny and Robin's cell, hearing as Superboy came up behind him. Danny frowned at them, his eyes wary. One arm snaked around Robin's chest protectively.

"The Justice League is here -."

_"Who are you?"_

Aqualad stopped. Danny didn't speak English? Did that mean Robin spoke whatever language this was?

He glanced over at Superboy who shrugged.

_So much for his help._

Superboy scowled. _I can hear you, you know._

Aqualad waved him off, turning to face Danny.

"Danny," he began slowly. "I am a friend of Robin."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he looked down at Robin. "Robin . . ." he muttered, the word heavily accented. He looked back up at Aqualad. "Dick's friend?"

Aqualad nodded, thankful the boy understood some English. "Yes. I am here to help."

Danny's shoulders relaxed, and he pointed to his collar. "Help?"

Pointing to Superboy, Aqualad replied. "Conner. Conner will help."

Superboy took his cue, stepping forward. Danny tensed as the Kryptonian reached for his neck, but he otherwise sat still. The collar broke apart in Superboy's hands. Danny smiled.

_"Thanks."_

As Superboy moved to break off Robin's collar, Kid Flash appeared behind Aqualad and pointed towards the group.

"In here," he said.

The collar removed, Superboy stood back, and Batman all but ran into the room. He dropped down beside the bed, reaching for Robin, but Danny shoved him back.

_"Don't touch him!"_

Batman looked up. _"It's okay."_ His voice was softer than Aqualad had ever heard, and the sudden change from the typical dark and mysterious Batman shocked him. _"I'm Dick's friend. I just want to help you." _

Danny didn't look quite convinced. _"Let me see your face." _

Batman paused, debating. He knew that everything was taken care of, the staff of this particular lab having already been rounded up and handed over to the local police, but he had no desire to stay here longer than necessary. He made his choice.

"Kid Flash, show Superboy and Aqualad the way out."

The usual dispassionate and gravelly tone was back, leaving no room for argument. Kid grabbed his teammates' arms and pulled them towards the exit, leaving the Dark Knight and the two brothers by themselves.

Batman reached up and tugged off his cowl, meeting Danny's eyes.

_"I promise, I just want to help."_

Danny seemed mollified. He nodded, and Batman reached to check Robin's pulse. Slow, but there and steady.

_Possible bradycardia._

He pulled off one glove, pressing the back of his hand to Robin's cheek.

_Feverish, but not deadly._

He lifted one of Robin's eyelids, noting the pupillary reflex.

_No obvious signs of brain trauma._

Slipping his glove back on, Batman looked up at Danny.

_"I'll carry him. Let's go."_

Danny looked like he wanted to argue, but he sighed, nodding. Batman pulled his cowl back into place and tugged his cape off his shoulders. As Danny shakily stood, he wrapped the cape around Robin and scooped him into his arms.

He wanted to be angry at Robin - angry for disobeying his clear orders, angry for getting his team caught up in this mess - but looking at the small figure in his arms, he realized that he was really just furious about the situation as a whole. Or rather, more specifically, furious about the fact that he had sent these children (_My child_) into a house of horrors without even realizing it. It was Cadmus all over again, except this time, he was responsible, and Robin bore the brunt of the consequences. No, Batman realized as he glanced at the boy stumbling along beside him, he couldn't be mad with Robin. After all, had he been in his place, had he seen his family alive and trapped, he would have done the same thing. There was no question about it.

Batman shifted Robin to one arm and placed a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder. It was time to get his boys home.

* * *

Danny clutched the warm bowl with his cold hands, glancing back and forth between the soup and his brother as he tried to sort through the insanity that was his rampant thoughts. He brought the bowl to his lips as he shifted on the bed.

Dick was alive. _Good thing._

Dick had been given a transfusion of his blood and probably now had some form of his genetic mutation. _Bad thing._

People had rescued them and seemed to have no intention of harming them. _Good thing._

Dick still had yet to wake up. _Bad thing._

Their rescuers seemed to be comprised of a ragtag group of humans and non-humans. _Good thing?_

That man (_Bruce? Bruce._) had gently explained that he was Dick's guardian and he was welcome to come stay with them when he got better. _Great thing._

All in all, there seemed to be more good about the situation than bad, but Danny wouldn't let himself get too hopeful yet, no matter how much everything seemed to be finally turning around for the better. And besides, even if he were permanently out of danger from doctors and experiments and whatnot, he couldn't forget about Dick. He had to live with being inhuman now, just like Danny. His life would never be normal again.

An unwelcome thought wormed its way into Danny's brain.

_This is my fault. _

Danny sighed and set the half-empty bowl on the side table between their beds. He shifted until he was lying down and pulled the blanket up to his chin. This room, someone had called it a med-bay, reminded him vaguely of the white cell he had lived in for five years, sterile, organized. But these walls were light blue, and the bed sheets were soft, and the door wasn't constantly kept locked. The walls were solid, and he didn't feel like he was stuck inside a fish bowl without a modicum of privacy. Not bad.

Danny's eyes drifted back to his brother. Still asleep. He remembered when they were younger, still living in the circus with their parents and the extended family that was the other performers. They'd had to share a bed, but neither minded - well, except, perhaps, for those particularly hot summers when they hardly wanted the blanket to touch them, much less each other. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times their mom had chastised them for staying up late and talking, a smile on her lips. They would giggle and say that she had only told them to get in bed, which they had, and not told them to go to sleep. She would sigh rather dramatically and tell them that they'd had enough fun for the day and it really was time to go to sleep. And so they would settle in, all tangle of lean limbs and black hair. Danny smiled faintly at the memory.

He wanted to climb into his brother's bed, to be near him and pretend that they were still in that tiny trailer before everything had gone wrong. But he stayed in his bed and curled in on himself.

_He doesn't want me near him. He's hurt because of me. I was stupid enough to walk into that crazy machine, and now . . . It's my fault._

The door to the med-bay slowly creaked open. A shock of red hair poked through, followed quickly by a boy in a bright yellow and red costume. Red goggles hung forgotten around his neck. Danny pushed himself up to sit, recognizing him as one of the kids that had arrived with Dick to rescue him. He eased into the room and shut the door behind himself.

_"Hey, my name is Wally."_

Danny felt his eyebrows rise. Wally's words were slow and heavily accented, much like Danny assumed his English sounded.

_"You speak Romani?"_

Wally frowned and held up one hand, waving it back and forth. _"A little. Dick teaches me."_

Danny nodded. _"It's better than my English, so that's a plus. I'm Danny, by the way."_

_"Dick's brother, yeah. I . . ."_ Wally paused, pursing his lips as if searching for the right word. He finally sighed and continued. _"I know stories. Dick tells me sometimes."_

Something warmed in Danny's chest at the thought that Dick had told his friends stories about them when they were little.

A soft groan from the nearby bed rent the silence, and both Danny and Wally immediately turned towards it. Dick had one hand to his eyes, the other weakly trying to push himself up. Wally was immediately at his side.

"Definitely not feeling the aster," Dick mumbled.

Danny wasn't quite sure what Dick had said, and when Wally began rambling in English, he promptly tuned out. Of course Dick didn't want to talk to him right now, it was his fault after all. He pulled his knees close to his chest, glancing away from Dick and Wally.

_My fault, my fault, allmyfaultallmy-._

"Danny?"

He jerked his head up. Dick and Wally were staring at him. Dick still looked unnaturally pale, but any traces of blood had been cleaned from his face and his tired eyes were still bright. Wally sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, his gaze darting between the two Graysons. Danny's eyes drifted towards the floor.

_"I," _his voice cracked, and he swallowed. _"I'm sorry, Dick, this is my fault, I -."_

A pair of arms wrapped around him, squeezing tightly and effectively cutting him off. Danny felt tears spring to his eyes, and he pulled his brother closer.

_"I thought you were dead, Dick, a-and you were screaming, and I couldn't do anything."_

_"It's okay, we're both alive, we're safe, it's okay, Danny."_

A wave of cold washed over the two brothers, followed by a loud gasp from Wally. Danny and Dick pulled apart, Danny's eyes going wide.

_No, no, no, no._

_"Uh, guys . . .?"_ Dick began.

He glanced down and, with a strangled yell, slipped back into visibility. Danny grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut and mumbling anxiously. Wally hesitantly reached forward and tapped Dick's shoulder. He glanced between his best friend and Danny.

"So, uh, what happened in that lab?" he whispered.

_**TIME OUT**_

Movement in the room came to an abrupt halt. Danny sat hunched over, his mouth still half open with silent words. Dick stood with his hands outstretched, his eyes wide in barely concealed horror. Wally's arm still hung in the air, reaching for Dick.

Large clock hands appeared, spinning to form a swirling portal. Out floated a blue man with a long white beard and a scar over one of his solid red eyes. The butt of his staff hit the ground with a dull thud, and he reached inside his cloak to retrieve two medallions. He tossed them, and they floated to a rest around the necks of the Grayson twins.

_"Daniel, Richard, try not to freak out."_

The two boys looked up, startled. A thin wisp of cold breath trailed from their mouths.

_"I apologize for not interfering before now, but the Observants are, as usual . . ."_ The floating man sighed. _"You may call me Clockwork. I am the Master of Time."_

Dick frowned. _"'Master of Time'?"_

Danny watched the man silently. Something about him seemed familiar, as if he had met him before. But that was strange as Danny could not recall ever having seen such an odd man. And yet his presence . . .

_"I know you,"_ Danny mumbled.

Clockwork smiled, his form shifting to that of a young man. _"I'm glad you remember, Daniel. Though I was forbidden to interfere directly, I tried to check up on you as often as I could spare."_

Dick's frown deepened. He inched forward, placing himself slightly between Danny and Clockwork.

_"What do you want?"_

Clockwork shifted back into old age, and his smile turned sad. _"I want to help. The two of you are more powerful than you realize, and you still have no idea what you are, what you can do. I would like to train you, if you would accept."_

_"We don't need some weird stalker to train us, we have a perfectly capable guardian already,"_ Dick spat. _"And what do you mean 'we don't know what we are'? What kind of crap is that?"_

Clockwork gripped his staff with both hands, leaning into it. For one so recently dead as Dick, it was surprising to see such a clear Obsession forming already. Though it could be the natural tendency towards possessiveness that all ghosts seemed to share, it appeared to be more than that, more of an overwhelming desire to protect that which he perceived as his. And while Clockwork had been checking in on Danny for years now, he had a much harder time pinpointing what might be that boy's Obsession. It was a strange phenomenon.

He straightened. _"For starters, the two of you are what could be called liminal. Anyone exposed to ectoplasm for a long enough time gains some degree of liminality, but you two -."_

_"Wait a second,"_ Dick interrupted. _"Did you just say ectoplasm? As in ghosts?"_

Danny looked up. He had mostly been lost in thought, staring at the ground and trying to process what was happening, but those words had jerked him swiftly out of his reverie. The girl with the ghost hunter parents, what had she called that strange machine?

Clockwork continued. _"Yes, ghosts, of which I am one. You two could potentially be described as partial ghosts, but that's more difficult to explain than liminality."_

As Dick opened his mouth to obviously protest, Clockwork realized that he probably could have explained things better. Danny reached forward and grabbed his brother's arm, and Dick turned to glance at him.

_"Danny?"_

_"We can trust him,"_ Danny replied. _"I trust him. You said it yourself, Dickie, we're safe now."_

Dick pursed his lips, his gaze switching between Danny and Clockwork. He finally sighed and turned back to Clockwork.

_"All right. What's all this about liminality and training?"_

Clockwork smiled softly. Yes, without a doubt these two boys would become great, and not just as a result of their unique physiology. Even having been separated for so many years, they had an unbreakable bond that he was sure would only get stronger. He shifted into the form of a child, waving his staff as another portal appeared.

_"Why don't we travel to my home? I feel I will better be able to show you there."_

Dick frowned again, but Danny stood quickly, grabbing his brother's hand and tugging him towards the swirling energy. With an exasperated sigh, Dick let himself be dragged along. Clockwork shook his head in amusement and followed just after. The portal spun shut.

_**TIME IN**_

Wally was on his feet in less than a second. He looked around the med-bay, his eyes wide. Dick and Danny had just been there. Well, Dick had done that whole disappearing act briefly, but they had been right there. Maybe they were both invisible?

"Guys?" Wally asked.

Nothing.

Wally felt mild panic begin to build in his chest. They weren't in the room, and people didn't just vanish completely. Not to mention, Dick was still sick from whatever happened in the lab, and Danny was malnourished, for Pete's sake! They would have a hard time defending themselves if something horrible had happened.

He had to find the team, had to let them know.

Wally turned towards the med-bay door, sprinting full-speed for the common room. Voices drifted to him, and he stumbled to a halt beside Artemis. Just as he opened his mouth to deliver the frantic news, he stopped. His eyes widened. This couldn't be possible.

And yet there they stood (_Is Danny floating?_), leaning against the main couch while the rest of the team crowding around. That in and of itself probably wouldn't be too shocking, except the Graysons looked different. Neither was the deathly pale they had been upon being brought to Mount Justice, and Danny had filled out, now looking almost indistinguishable from his lean-muscled brother. Their hair was longer, though Danny's - the top half pulled back in a small ponytail - was significantly more so. Their clothes were mostly normal if rather oddly colored and dimly glowing. They were both laughing at something, and even through the cowl, Wally could tell that Batman was mildly irritated. Most bizarre of all, just beside Batman floated (_Yeah, that guy is definitely floating_) a blue-skinned man in purple robes with no legs to speak of.

Artemis slung an arm around Wally's shoulders, startling him.

"What took you so long, Baywatch?"

He pointed at Dick and Danny. "But they . . .?"

"Yeah, it's weird. They just appeared out of this portal, and it kind of freaked us all out for a second. They were just about the explain -."

"Wally!"

Dick leaped off the back of the couch, soaring through the air towards the speedster. Wally blanched and stumbled backwards as Dick rammed into him. He vaguely heard Danny snickering in the background.

"Long time, no see, KF!"

Wally patted his friend's back awkwardly before pulling away.

"Uh, not really? We were just in the med-bay?"

Even as the words left his mouth, Wally knew they weren't correct, not really. The floating blue man spoke up.

"Time works differently in the Infinite Realms."

Danny rolled his eyes and pulled his legs up so that he floated cross-legged. "Well, yeah, but it also helps that Clocks here promised to return us to the same time we left."

Wally absently noticed that, while he still had an accent, Danny's English was near-perfect now.

"So, how long were you two gone?" M'gann asked.

Danny shrugged, glancing over at Dick. Dick shrugged back but answered anyways.

"I don't know. A few months?"

"No more than six," Danny offered.

"Time's weird."

The floating blue man (_Had Danny called him Clocks?_) shook his head, a smile quirking his lips, and turned to Batman.

"While I will admit that it was a pleasure to have company in my lair, I do not envy your place as caretaker for two such," he paused, glancing at the twins, "energetic children. My training should have brought their abilities under control, but should they develop new ones or begin falling through the floor again -" This comment managed to elicit a few annoyed grumbles from the twins. Clocks ignored them. "- I am always happy to help."

Batman nodded. "I appreciate it, Clockwork."

"I'll leave you to it, then. Daniel, Richard." The two boys looked up. "Try not to get into too much trouble, all right?"

They broke into almost identical grins, and Dick said, "No promises."

With another shake of his head, Clockwork waved his staff and disappeared through a swirling portal. Danny dropped to his bare feet, bouncing on his toes.

"So, what now? It's been ages since I've done anything normal in the human world!"

"Yeah, B, can we go get pizza or something once we get back to Gotham?" Dick asked. "The Ghost Zone's got a lot of stuff, but good pizza is not one of those things."

Danny smiled conspiratorially at his brother. "You know, Dickie, I think I'd just die for a good slice of pizza."

Dick smiled back. "That makes two of us."

They dissolved into giggles that only got louder at the bewildered faces of their teammates. Batman's gaze turned towards the ceiling in the manner of someone praying for divine patience. Wally glanced at the rest of the team, frowning.

"Uh, what's the Ghost Zone?" he asked.

Dick wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, trying to reign in his laughter. "Hey, why don't we all get pizza together? Then we can explain."

Batman sighed. "Fine, but we're staying here. I'll pick it up."

"Can we come?" Dick and Danny asked simultaneously.

Batman glared, looking over the both of them. "You're still glowing."

Dick huffed, mumbling something that sounded like, "Not our fault," and Danny looked sheepishly down at his arms. Batman began moving towards the zeta tubes.

"Sit, start explaining to your team what's going on, I'll be back."

"Recognized, Batman-01."

As the light from the zeta tube faded, Danny climbed over the back of the couch and sat, Dick floating over to take the spot beside him. Kaldur, Artemis, M'gann, Wally, and Conner slowly filed into the common area to sit around them. As he looked closer, Wally realized that the glowing he had noticed earlier wasn't in fact coming from their clothes like he had originally thought. Just one more bizarre thing to add to his growing list.

Danny fidgeted under the gaze of the young heroes.

"I'm Danny, by the way," he blurted. "I'm sure you know that, but I don't think we've been formally introduced before now. I kind of feel like I know you guys from all the stories Dickie's told me, but, yeah. Hi."

Artemis snickered, breaking the awkward silence that followed, and Danny blushed. She quickly waved a hand.

"No, Danny, you're good, I'm not laughing at you. It's just, hearing Mr. Suave Socialite Richard Grayson being called Dickie is too much."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny Artemis."

Wally smirked, trying to hold back his own laughter. "She's got a point, Dickie."

"Nope, Danny's the only one that gets to call me that."

Wally and Artemis laughed, M'gann and Connor watching in mild confusion, and Kaldur shook his head with a small smile on his face. Even Danny was smiling. Dick shoved his shoulder.

"All right, all right, my nickname's funny. Can we move on?"

"Oh, no, we're not letting this go anytime soon," Wally said.

"Could you imagine what would happen if word got out at Gotham Academy -"

Dick flew off the couch and clamped a hand over Artemis' mouth. "I'm gonna stop you right there."

Artemis shoved him away, still laughing, but let the matter drop. As Dick floated back over to the couch, he spoke up.

"So, different topic?"

"Why are you two glowing?" Connor interjected.

Danny waved hand dismissively. "We're overcharged, essentially. After spending so much time in the Ghost Zone absorbing ambient ectoplasm, we glow even when we're human. It should fade before the day is out, though."

Kaldur frowned. "Are you implying that you're not always human?"

Dick grinned evilly. "That's exactly what we're implying. We're half-ghost."

Danny groaned. "Liminal, we're liminal. Come on, Dick, don't teach the team derogatory terms."

"But I like half-ghost better. It's totally asterous!"

"That doesn't change the fact that it's derogatory and offensive!"

"I'm not offended."

By the time Batman arrived with the pizzas, Dick and Danny were still arguing. It had changed themes multiple times before circling back around to the original topic. At one point they slipped into Romani, and at another, they tried to drag M'gann into the debate. Wally, Connor, and Artemis were betting on whether or not they would stop on their own or if the Bat would have to pull them apart. Kaldur, meanwhile, watched everything in quiet bemusement. He still wasn't completely sure how this new development would affect the team. The addition of another mischievous thirteen year old would most definitely have its complications, but, overall, he was glad for it. Dick seemed happier than Kaldur had ever seen him, and the team could always use another member that was good at stealth if only to counteract Wally's complete inability to be quiet. Kaldur smiled. This would be a good thing, he could feel it.

He pushed himself to his feet as the zeta tube announced Batman's arrival. After all, he had two brothers to separate and a bet to ruin.

**~.~**

**EDIT (16 Dec 19): So, it was brought to my attention by MagicMyths that Dick - and by extension, Danny - is Romani and not Romanian and that these are two different ethnicities/cultures with two different languages. My bad, dears. In an attempt to remain true to canon (in this blatant AU of mine), I fixed some stuff. It pains me to not have the actual Romani language in here, but apparently there isn't an official written form? So, yeah, no online translators. Hope it's not too confusing. **

**ORIGINAL: 7,510 words. Wow. In my head this was a lot shorter.**

**Well, dears, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not gonna lie, there were a few interactions between Dick and Danny that were written while listening to the song "Brother" by NEEDTOBREATHE, and that probably caused some extra fluffiness :D I also borrowed some bombing DP headcanons from the writing genius that is FiveRivers. If you have not read his/her story "Mortified," I highly recommend it. It's 172 chapters of mind-blowing awesomeness (and still going!).**

**I already have some ideas bouncing around for other one-shots that will act as sequels to this one, so be on the lookout. And, hey, who knows? Perhaps once I finish seasons 2 & 3 of YJ, I will get around to writing a full-blown story for these kiddos. We'll see.**

**I think that's all I've got, dears, so I'll leave you to it. Happy creating!**

**\- The Girl of Many Words**


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